Romanticism: How it affected the Hudson River School
In the article,"Romantic Era" by an anonymous author, it was stated that romanticism was a movement that began in 1750 and ended in 1870 ("Romantic Era" 1). Besides, affecting art, this movement also affected literature (Forward 1). The movement was primarily about being defiant ("Romantic Era" 1). Art and literature created during this time was different from classic art and literature ("Romantic Era" 1). Instead of using the Greeks and Romans as models and following the rules, artists veered off the rules ("Romantic Era" 1). They broke the rules that were created by earlier societies ("Romantic Era" 1). This was a huge influence on the Hudson River School because they were breaking the rules for paintings in America ("Hudson River School Painters" 4). The Hudson River School artists decided to paint landscapes instead of portraits according to the essay, "Hudson River School Painters". The painters made nature as the main subject of their paintings ("Hudson River School Painters" 4). Their work was considered audacious in the art world ("Hudson River School Painters" 1). Moreover, the Hudson River School painters were being defiant (Esaak 1). Previously, American artists were imitating Britain's art (Stern 1). Every single American artist would travel to Europe to learn how to paint like the European masters ("Hudson River School Painters" 4). However, the Hudson River School movement broke this trend ("Hudson River School Painters" 2). Their goal was to improve American art by moving away from the classic artwork that artists used to model their art from ("Hudson River School Painters" 1). The Hudson River School artists also wanted to separate themselves from Europe ("Hudson River School Painters" 1). They did not want to base American art off of British art ("Romanticism" 1). The Hudson River School made art that was truly American because the artists focused on the American landscape ("Hudson River School Painters" 1).
The painting above is an example of the classical art which influenced European art. The Hudson River School was trying to move away from the classical art and the European art that most Americans imitated. The painting above is called Alexander the Great and his Captains recovering the dying Persian Emperor Darius after the Battle of Isus. The artist is unknown and the date of the painting is unknown. In this painting, there is a crowd of men on a battlefield swarming around. They are all looking towards their dying leader. This painting illustrated a scene on the battlefield. The artist was recording a battle scene in his painting. He wanted to show the chaos that happened during a battle. The Romans painted many battle scenes because their empire was about conquering people as the painting above shows that battles were important. This painting preserved the scene so that people would remember the battle in the future, years after it happened. The job of an artist was to record history (Stern 1). They were supposed to paint only key events that happened (Stern 1). Thus, the British were influenced by classical art because the purpose of their artists were to also preserve history ("Romantic Era" 1). English artists painted key figures in history and sometimes events such as victories in battles (Stern 1). Since the Americans copied British art, they were also influenced by classical art which they were indirectly mimicking (Stern 1).
The painting above is an example of the classical art which influenced European art. The Hudson River School was trying to move away from the classical art and the European art that most Americans imitated. The painting above is called Alexander the Great and his Captains recovering the dying Persian Emperor Darius after the Battle of Isus. The artist is unknown and the date of the painting is unknown. In this painting, there is a crowd of men on a battlefield swarming around. They are all looking towards their dying leader. This painting illustrated a scene on the battlefield. The artist was recording a battle scene in his painting. He wanted to show the chaos that happened during a battle. The Romans painted many battle scenes because their empire was about conquering people as the painting above shows that battles were important. This painting preserved the scene so that people would remember the battle in the future, years after it happened. The job of an artist was to record history (Stern 1). They were supposed to paint only key events that happened (Stern 1). Thus, the British were influenced by classical art because the purpose of their artists were to also preserve history ("Romantic Era" 1). English artists painted key figures in history and sometimes events such as victories in battles (Stern 1). Since the Americans copied British art, they were also influenced by classical art which they were indirectly mimicking (Stern 1).
The art movement, romanticism, was about expressing the painter's emotions through the art, according to the article "Romanticism" by an anonymous author ("Romanticism" 1). The artists' works of art were supposed to evoke strong and passionate emotions in the audience (Esaak 1). This was different from classical art (Esaak 1). In classic art, paintings were supposed to convey important messages (Esaak 1). For instance, the Greeks and Romans would often have gods or goddesses in their art to show the overwhelming power that they had (Esaak 1). Humans were helpless to the gods' or goddesses' rage (Esaak 1). They would also paint battle scenes to preserve history (Esaak 1). Classical art became an example for all artworks afterward (Esaak 1). Painters would paint kings and queens or other powerful leaders to indicate their power . Artists also became recorders of history because they preserved the memory of leaders in their art (Stern 1). However, with romanticism , the artists' goal was to convey the emotions they felt ("Romanticism 1). As a result, the Hudson River School artists glorified their art so that it would convey their enthusiasm about nature ("Romanticism" 1). They tried convey their emotions for the magnificence of nature though their paintings and inspire people to go out into nature themselves ('Romanticism" 1). Although, Durand did not glorify his paintings since he believed that depicting nature correctly would make people feel his awe for it (Karasoulas 1). He believed that nature should speak for itself (Karasoulas 1).
Furthermore, in the article, "Legacy of the Romantics" by Dr.Stephanie Forward, the romanticism movement emphasized heavily on nature (Forward 1). It was stated in the article, "The Romantic Era" by an anonymous author, that artists believed that nature was God's masterpiece; they thought that nature was the only way to make humans closer to God ("Romantic Era" 1). These romanticism beliefs played a large role in the Hudson River School ("Romantic Era" 1). The Hudson River School painters believed in the power of nature ("Hudson River School Painters" 2) . Their beliefs were so strong that they painted landscapes ("Romanticism" 1). The artists thought that by painting landscapes in nature they were closer to God ("Romanticism" 1). The Hudson River School painters expressed their admiration for nature through their paintings ("Romanticism" 1). They hoped their art would inspire other people to reconnect with nature spiritually ("Romanticism" 1).
The painting on the left was painted by William Hart in 1857-58. It is called on the Esopus, Meadow Groves. The painting in the middle is called the Leaping Horse, which was created in 1825 by John Constable. The painting on the right is called Chain Pier, Brighton. It is also painted by John Constable. But, he painted this in 1827.
The paintings by John Constable showed that romanticism was spreading throughout Europe. Constable, was an English romantic painter. In the two paintings above he portrayed the ideals of romanticism. In the painting, Leaping Horse, Constable depicts a landscape scene where a man is struggling with his horse on a pier. In the background, there are some trees and a boat full of men floating down the river. Constable was influenced by romanticism. He attempted to make the landscape the main subject of the painting by making the man and the horse tiny compared to the trees. The concept of making nature an important aspect in art is romanticism because this movement was about moving away from classical art which only displayed humans. Constable wanted his paintings to be different from classical art so he put emphasis on the river and the trees. The trees have more detail on them than the men in the painting. In his second painting, Chain Pier, Brighton, Constable depicted a scene where men are running up the beach away from the waves. This artwork depicts a bleak picture of nature. It shows nature as an almighty force made by God. In the painting, there are ship wrecks all along the shore and the sky is an ominous shade of gray which shows the power nature had. In addition, the men are tiny and very vague looking to show their insignificance to nature. Here, Constable's art is also affected by romanticism. As an romantic artist, he saw nature as a powerful force made by God. He showed nature's power through the ship wrecks; all the ships are ruined because of the storm that happened while they were on the ocean. Furthermore, he was able to express emotions through his piece. The emotions of fear and panic are evident through the painting. The men are running away from the shore because they are frightened by the storm. They are also panicking because all the ships have been ruined so now they have no way to travel back from where they came from. Constable painted this scene in order to show people that nature was powerful. Although, it may look beautiful, it has a dangerous and fierce side to it. Nature could hurt mankind without exerting any real effort.
The painting on the left was made by a Hudson River School artist. This painting shows that the Hudson River School was influenced by romanticism which spread from Europe. In this painting, Hart painted a lake with some cattle drinking water. This artwork emphasized heavily on the lake since it is the largest part in the painting. Hart wanted people to appreciate nature so he made the lake the focal point in his painting. Hart and other Hudson River School artists advanced American art. They made nature the main subjects of their art instead of the background. This was common in many romantic paintings. Thus, Hart was influenced by romanticism. Hart and Durand along with the other Hudson River School painters were some of the American artists who were affected by this movement. Durand was able to use this movement to his advantage. He made paintings of nature and led American art into a new era because he changed American Art. Although, Cole and other members of the Hudson River School were influenced by romanticism which was primarily focused on breaking the rules, they had trouble breaking the rules. For instance, Cole still included religious references in his art. In contrast, Durand embraced the romantic movement by making his art different from European art. As a result, American art was advanced through his paintings.
Furthermore, in the article, "Legacy of the Romantics" by Dr.Stephanie Forward, the romanticism movement emphasized heavily on nature (Forward 1). It was stated in the article, "The Romantic Era" by an anonymous author, that artists believed that nature was God's masterpiece; they thought that nature was the only way to make humans closer to God ("Romantic Era" 1). These romanticism beliefs played a large role in the Hudson River School ("Romantic Era" 1). The Hudson River School painters believed in the power of nature ("Hudson River School Painters" 2) . Their beliefs were so strong that they painted landscapes ("Romanticism" 1). The artists thought that by painting landscapes in nature they were closer to God ("Romanticism" 1). The Hudson River School painters expressed their admiration for nature through their paintings ("Romanticism" 1). They hoped their art would inspire other people to reconnect with nature spiritually ("Romanticism" 1).
The painting on the left was painted by William Hart in 1857-58. It is called on the Esopus, Meadow Groves. The painting in the middle is called the Leaping Horse, which was created in 1825 by John Constable. The painting on the right is called Chain Pier, Brighton. It is also painted by John Constable. But, he painted this in 1827.
The paintings by John Constable showed that romanticism was spreading throughout Europe. Constable, was an English romantic painter. In the two paintings above he portrayed the ideals of romanticism. In the painting, Leaping Horse, Constable depicts a landscape scene where a man is struggling with his horse on a pier. In the background, there are some trees and a boat full of men floating down the river. Constable was influenced by romanticism. He attempted to make the landscape the main subject of the painting by making the man and the horse tiny compared to the trees. The concept of making nature an important aspect in art is romanticism because this movement was about moving away from classical art which only displayed humans. Constable wanted his paintings to be different from classical art so he put emphasis on the river and the trees. The trees have more detail on them than the men in the painting. In his second painting, Chain Pier, Brighton, Constable depicted a scene where men are running up the beach away from the waves. This artwork depicts a bleak picture of nature. It shows nature as an almighty force made by God. In the painting, there are ship wrecks all along the shore and the sky is an ominous shade of gray which shows the power nature had. In addition, the men are tiny and very vague looking to show their insignificance to nature. Here, Constable's art is also affected by romanticism. As an romantic artist, he saw nature as a powerful force made by God. He showed nature's power through the ship wrecks; all the ships are ruined because of the storm that happened while they were on the ocean. Furthermore, he was able to express emotions through his piece. The emotions of fear and panic are evident through the painting. The men are running away from the shore because they are frightened by the storm. They are also panicking because all the ships have been ruined so now they have no way to travel back from where they came from. Constable painted this scene in order to show people that nature was powerful. Although, it may look beautiful, it has a dangerous and fierce side to it. Nature could hurt mankind without exerting any real effort.
The painting on the left was made by a Hudson River School artist. This painting shows that the Hudson River School was influenced by romanticism which spread from Europe. In this painting, Hart painted a lake with some cattle drinking water. This artwork emphasized heavily on the lake since it is the largest part in the painting. Hart wanted people to appreciate nature so he made the lake the focal point in his painting. Hart and other Hudson River School artists advanced American art. They made nature the main subjects of their art instead of the background. This was common in many romantic paintings. Thus, Hart was influenced by romanticism. Hart and Durand along with the other Hudson River School painters were some of the American artists who were affected by this movement. Durand was able to use this movement to his advantage. He made paintings of nature and led American art into a new era because he changed American Art. Although, Cole and other members of the Hudson River School were influenced by romanticism which was primarily focused on breaking the rules, they had trouble breaking the rules. For instance, Cole still included religious references in his art. In contrast, Durand embraced the romantic movement by making his art different from European art. As a result, American art was advanced through his paintings.
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